Hi and Happy Valentine's Day! Today marks the official halfway mark of this year's Black History Spotlight, and it's always insane to me just how quickly this month goes by. In case you didn't notice, I switched a couple of categories. I told you in last week's Activism and Political Spotlight that I prefer to end the series with this category, but I had it in the wrong order at the time and was ending on the Music and Entertainment Spotlight instead. lol I've corrected the problem, so that was why you had two M&E Spotlights in 7 days. Anyway, today we're going to be learning about another of the civil rights leaders whose name is unfortunately new to me. She worked alongside the leaders we always hear about (and if you know your Black history her name probably isn't as new to you as it is to me) but we don't often hear about her accomplishments. We don't have many living civil rights leaders left, so I wanted to make sure to get to her this year. Let's get into it!
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Name: Diane Judith Nash, 1938-
Profession: Activist, lecturer, real estate agent
Why is the Spotlight on her today? For her lasting contributions to the civil rights movement and her dedication to nonviolent protests
Notables:
--Was the leader of the Nashville student sit-ins, which were the first successful protest against segregated restaurants, leading to the integration of lunch counters in Nashville
--Was a leader of the Freedom Riders movement, which helped desegregate public transportation in the South
--Worked for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, where she served multiple duties in the organization until she split from them, dissatisfied with the lack of female leadership
--Was a co-founder of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), which was a pioneering nonviolent group in the civil rights movement (which was organized into creation by Ella Baker) until a change in leadership caused a change in the protest structure
--Was a member of the committee appointed by JFK that promoted the 1964 Civil Rights Act after its passing
--Was an integral reason behind MLK's speech at the First Baptist Church in support of the Freedom Riders, which he had previously refused to publicly support
--Co-created the Selma to Montgomery marches to protest equal voting rights in Alabama, which worked alongside SCLC's Selma Rights Voting Movement and eventually led to the passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act
--Was one of the activists who abided by the "jail, no bail" policy in her dozens of arrests while protesting
--Was awarded SNCC's Rosa Parks Award with her then-husband by Martin Luther King, Jr. for their work to establish voter rights in Alabama
--Was awarded the Distinguished American Award by the official John F. Kennedy Library and Foundation
--Received the LBJ Award for Leadership in Civil Rights from the LBJ Library and Museum
--Continues her nonviolent fight and advocacy for women's rights, fair housing and anti-war policies
Further reading and resources:
Quote of the Day:
"Freedom, by definition, is people realizing that they are their own leaders."
-Diane Nash
Today's organization: Southerners on New Ground (SONG)
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What does this organization provide? Support and resources for today's generation of Southern LGBTQ people of color fighting to achieve equality and liberation from oppression. They help empower these individuals to increase visibility of LGBTQ voices and issues, become future leaders of their communities and contribute to the changing societal climate of our nation. SONG works towards this goal by creating a safe space with acceptance, challenging members to be their best selves, helping bring people together, creating connections between members and helping them mobilize and lead in their local communities across the Southern states. One of the goals is to create a solid LGBTQ infrastructure in the South to combat the Bible Belt mentality oppressing the needs of those in the community.
See you tomorrow!
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